Breathing apparatus having an arrangement for artificial respiration



06- 1969 D. o. A. JOHANNISSON 3,474,784

BREATHING APPARATUS HAVING AN ARRANGEMENT FOR ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATIONFiled Nov. 18, 1966 Int. Cl. A62b 9/02, 7/00; A61h 16/00 8 US. Cl. 128-145.7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A breathing apparatus adaptedfor artificial respiration has a feeding device such as rubber bag forfeeding gas through a conduit to a three-way breathing valve, whichresponds to pressure differences so as to connect a patient alternatelywith the feeding device for an inspiration and with an expiration outletfor an expiration. Auxiliary valve means in the form of a pair ofoppositely ,directed non-return valves in the conduit separates thefeeding device from the three-way valve, these non-return valvesresponding to predetermined pressure differences to open the conduit andpermit flow to or from the three-way valve, depending upon the sense ofthe pressure difference. A manual control can hold one of the non-returnvalves open so as to permit continuous flow therethrough.

The invention relates to a breathing apparatus having an arrangement forartificial respiration and comprising a reservoir for the breathing gas,a feeding device for feeding from the reservoir to the patient, aconduit leading from the feeding device and adapted to be connected tothe breathing organs of a patient, and a multi-way breathing valve withan expiration conduit provided in the said conduit and responsive topressure from the feeding device for opening and admitting breathing gasto the patient and simultaneously closing the expiration conduit, andwhich responds to breathing pressure from the patient to open theexpiration conduit.

In an arrangement of this type, the feeding device may comprise aconstruction of the reservoir to make possible the delivery of gas fromthe same; for instance, the reservoir may be a rubber bag which can becompressed for feeding gas to the patient.

It may be desirable for the connection from the reservoir to themulti-way breathing valve not to be directly open but through anoverflow valve, which, even if it does let the feeding pressure passduring artificial respiration, does not let pass the pressure with whichgas is fed into the apparatus. If this arrangement were not provided,the last-mentioned feeding pressure, which is to fill the reservoirduring the patients expiration, would reach the multi-way valve and thepatient would have to overcome this feeding pressure in order to openthe multi-way valve.

According to the invention, this disadvantage is obviated by means of anauxiliary valve arrangement provided in the conduit between the feedingdevice and the breathing valve and comprising anoverflow valve which isadapted to open in response to pressure from the feeding device andclearthe conduit leading to the patient.

However, providing such an overflow valve may in its turn lead to adifficulty owing to the fact that at the termination of an artificialinspiration there is a high residual pressure between the overflow valveand the patient, which would have to be overcome by the patient if he isto actuate the multi-way valve for an expiration. To obviate this, it ispreferable to provide also a nonreturn valve making possible a passagein the opposite direction 3,474,784 Patented Oct. 28, 19 9 to that ofthe overflow valve, whereby the said pressure can be let off through thenonreturn valve and contribute vto the filling of the reservoir. Inthismanner, the patient only has to overcome the inherent pressure ofthe multiway valve itself, which is of a negligible order of magnitude.

- An embodiment of the invention is shown on the drawing.

The embodiment shown has a conduit 5 adapted to be connected on one handto a gas-source supplying oxygen or air and/or other gases, e.g. N 0,with a predetermined pressure and on the other to the patients breathingorgans.

Conduits 5 communicates with a rubber bag 37 serving as a reservoir andleads to an auxiliary valve device 38 and from it on via a breathingvalve to the patient.

Valve device 38 comprises a housing 39 having a valve chamber 40 with anoverflow valve comprising a valve disc 41 therein, the valve disc beingurged towards the closing position by a spring 42 acting against amembrane 43. A central aperture is provided in valve disc 41. tocooperate with a smaller valve disc 44, which is also urged towards theclosing position by a spring 45 acting against a stem 46 and valve disc41.

A knob 47 is provided to be adjustable between two positions, thedrawing showing the knob in its pusheddown position. Knob 47 is mountedon a shaft 48 having recesses 49 and 50 into which a spring-urged ballcan snap so as to determine the two terminal positions to which knob 47can be adjusted. A lever 52 is pivotally mounted on housing 39 to beactuated through a spring around the outer part of shaft 48, to in turncontrol membrane 43.

In its pushed-down position, knob 47 determines by means of lever 52acting on the membrane an outer terminal position for membrane 43,whereby valve discs 41 and 44 are normally closed. In the outer positionof knob 47, lever 52 pivots to move membrane 43 inwardly against stem46, hence unseating valve disc 44 and establishing a continuous opening.

The breathing valve 51 is provided with an easily flexible thin valvedisc 53, the edge of which seats on a larger valve seat, thereby closingoff conduit 5. The central portion of disc 53 seats on a smaller valveseat formed by a tube 54. In the inactive position, disc 53 seats onboth of the valve seats referred to; it is retained in position by pins55 engaging tube 54.

Tube 54 has a wider portion 56, in which there is provided a valve disc57 serving as a nonreturn valve for the patients expiration.

OPERATION Auxiliary valve 38: the essential function of this arrangementis in connection with giving the patient artificial respiration by meansof a pressure on the rubber bag. By observing the rubber bag, it ispossible to see if the patients spontaneous breathing ceases, for thebag normally moves in the rhythm of the patients breathing. If it isdesired to give artificial respiration, the bag 37 is compressed. Air isthen forced out through auxiliary valve 38, the valve disc 41 of whichis unseated by the pressure in conduit 5. The gas mixture flows throughchamber 40 and under the edge of valve disc 53' to the patient. Thepressure in conduit 5 then presses valve disc 53 against tube 54; Whenthe inspiration is completed, this pressure must be removed to makepossible for the patient to breathe out through tube 54 and valve 57,since this expiration has to take place by meansof the expiratorypressure acting .on the peripheral part of valve disc 53 so as to unseatit from the tube 54.

If this operation is to be possible, the pressure on the underside ofvalve disc 53, as was mentioned above, must be removed. To this endvalve disc 44 can move away from disc 41 and makes it possible for thegas to flow from conduit 5 back to rubber bag 37, thus relieving theresidual pressure between breathing valve 51 and auxiliary valve 38. I

When knob 47 is in the drawn-out position, membrane 43 acts against stem46 to hold valve disc 44 open, and continuous flow of the gas mixturecan take place.

I claim:

1. In a breathing apparatus having an arrangement for artificialrespiration, the improvement comprising: conduit means for connection toa source of breathing gas; selectively actuatable feeding means forestablishing intermittent variable pressures in said conduit so astopermit feeding gas to a patient intermittently at different pressuresfor artificial respiration; a three-way breathing valve connected insaid conduit; said three-way breath ing valve having a first passageconnected in said conduit to receive gas from said feeding means, asecond passage for connection to the breathing organs of a patient, athird passage forming an expiration outlet, and a breathing valve memberresponsive to pressure dilferences between said first and secondpassages for alternately communicating said second passage exclusivelywith said first passage for a patient inspiration or exclusively withsaid third passage for a patient expiration; an auxiliary valve meanscomprising a first non-return valve connected in and controlling gasflow through said conduit between said feeding device and said three-waybreathing valve and a second oppositely directed non-return valveconnected in and controlling gas flow through said conduit between saidthree-way breathing valve and said feeding means, said auxiliary valvemeans automatically opening said conduit to communicate said three-waybreathing valve and said feeding device only in response topredetermined pressure differences in said conduit on opposite sides ofsaid auxiliary valve.

2. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein each of saidnon-return valves includes means resiliently biasing it to its closedposition.

3. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 2 wherein said auxiliaryvalve means includes selectively actuatable opening means for holdingone of said nonreturn valves open against its closing bias to providefree passage of gas in either direction through said auxiliary valvemeans.

4. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said auxiliaryvalve means comprises a housing having first and second chamberscommunicable through a valve seat, a diaphragm flexibly mounted in agas-tight manner in an aperture in a wall of the housing so as to bedisplaceable toward or away from said valve seat, means for limitingdisplacement of said diaphragm outwardly of the housing away from saidvalve seat, a first auxiliary valve member having an aperture thereinand biased by a compression spring between said diaphragm and said firstauxiliary valve member so that the periphery of the latter normallyabuts said seat to prevent flow of gas from said first to said secondhousing chamber, and a second auxiliary valve member located on the sideof said first auxiliary valve member remote from said diaphragm andspring biased to a normal position closing said aperture in said firstauxiliary valve member, said 4 second auxiliary valve member having anintegral stem portion extending therefrom through the aperture in saidfirst auxiliary valve member toward the diaphragm, such that if thediaphragm is displaced inwardly of the housing it displaces said stemportion to unseat said second auxilia'ry valve member against the biasthereof from said first auxiliary valve member, thereby providing anopen passage for free gas flow in either direction through the aperturein said first auxiliary valve member.

5. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said secondauxiliary valve member 'is biased by means of a compression springsurrounding said stem and located between the first auxiliary valvemember and a portion of the stem of enlarged diameter adjacent thediaphragm.

6. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said auxiliaryvalve means further comprises manual control means for controlling saiddiaphragm and movable between two positions in one of which displacementof the diaphragm outwardly of the housing is limited at a position suchthat both auxiliary valve members are spring biased normally to assumetheir seated positions and in the other of which said diaphragm isdisplaced inwardly of the housing and held in a position such that thesecond auxiliary valve member is held uns'eated from the aperture insaid first auxiliary valve member, said control means comprising a rodaxially displaceable in a bore in said housing between two positions,detent means for releasably retaining the rod in either of saidpositions, and a lever pivotally mounted on said housing and having aportion on one side of the pivotal mounting operatively coupled withsaid rod such that axial displacement of the rod produces angularmovement of the lever relative to the housing, said lever having an endportion on the other side of the pivotal mounting which abuts saiddiaphragm on the side of the latter presented outwardly of the housingand which limits outward displacement of the diaphragm under theinfluence of the spring means biasing said auxiliary valve members.

7. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 6 wherein the operativecoupling between said portion of the lever on one side of the pivotalmounting and said rod comprises a compression spring surrounding the rodand acting between a shoulder on the latter and said lever portionwhereby said end portion abutting the diaphragm is biased inwardly ofthe housing.

8. In a breathing apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidselectively actuatable feeding means comprises a reservoir of variablevolume.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,428,451 10/1947 Emerson128-145.7

3,366,133 1/1968 Johannisson.

FOREIGN PATENTS 1,256,024 2/1961 France.

910,065 11/1962 Great Britain.

RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner KYLE L. HOWELL. Assistant Examiner

